


Real or Not Real

by ltcommkat



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 07:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7835959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltcommkat/pseuds/ltcommkat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A game that she and Leo play.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Real or Not Real

There's a game that she and Leonardo play from time to time, unspoken and abstract, with no real rules or boundaries. She doesn't remember when it started, or how. There is nothing official about this game. They've never spoken of it to each other, they just know it exists, and understand how to play it. The other ninja turtles don't know about it, even though they witness it all the time.

If she had to name it, she'd call it Real or Not Real.

The game goes a little like this:

They were all sitting around, enjoying some pepperoni pizza she'd brought over. She found it unbelievable sometimes that she could even stand pizza anymore, with the amount she and the guys consumed. It had become a comfort over time, though, and after a bad day she could always rely on a slice and some quality time with her best friends.

The conversation was about which pizza toppings they loved the most. Michelangelo couldn't decide; "They're all so good!" Raphael said pepperoni, Donatello argued that sausage was definitely superior, especially when paired with bell peppers and red onion. Leonardo took his time answering, finally deciding that cheese was the best. Plain, simple.

"What about you?" he said, looking to her. This is where the game started.

She didn't skip a beat, just answered plainly, "Anchovies, of course." She smirked at him, the challenge set. His eyes narrowed, challenge accepted.

"…Not real." His final answer. She could tell by the look in his eyes.

She laughed, "Of course not." He'd won this round.

She was sitting on the couch once, reading a book while everyone else was off doing their own thing, when Leo walked in. He glanced at the title of the book, It by Stephen King. "I've read that," he told her. She looked up, studying him for a moment.

"Real?" She couldn't tell, knowing that Leo didn't spend a lot of time reading. He smirked and nodded. She raised her eyebrows, impressed.

They flirted like this for months, getting to know each other one encounter at a time. Eventually, she looked forward to these moments more than anything. She would think of things in her time away from him to challenge him with. When she would get to the lair and he'd be gone for the night patrolling, she'd have to fight to hide her disappointment from the others.

The transition from just friendship feelings to something more was subtle and slow, and when she finally realized one day the truth, she was almost startled, not sure how to handle them. But she knew she wouldn't be able to contain it for long.

So she thought up a plan.

Raph and Mikey were on patrol that night, and Donnie was hard at work in the garage. She spent most nights there lately, preferring the turtles' company to her empty apartment. She'd brought over a movie to watch, and popped it into the DVD player. There was no sign of Leo yet, but it was only a matter of time.

She didn't have to wait long, which was good because the more time that went by, the likelier it was that she was going to chicken out. She'd practiced what she was going to say over and over in her head, but there were variables that she couldn't control, and that worried her. Leo could be somewhat unpredictable. Of course, she'd prepared herself for a negative outcome- Don't let it show on your face, don't you DARE let him see you cry- but when it came to practical application she was nervous.

The fearless leader in blue walked in about fifteen minutes into the movie. The city had been pretty quiet lately, meaning less tension between him and Raph, and more time for meditation and training, leaving Leo in relatively high spirits lately. He stopped behind the couch, watching the screen.

"What's on?" he asked. She kept her eyes on the TV, trying her best to play it cool.

"Riddick," she answered. She looked up at him. He was leaning on the back of the couch, eyes intent. "You wanna watch it with me?"

He walked around the couch and settled in next to her. "What the hell," he said, smiling at her. She liked seeing this side of him, more relaxed, more care-free. As he turned his attention back to the movie, she kept her eyes on him. She'd stopped seeing him as a mutant turtle a long time ago. She'd stopped seeing the green, scaly skin, even the shell. When she looked at him now, she saw the man that he was, strong, confident, a leader. She saw a man who cared more about his family than anything. She saw a hero.

In the movie, Riddick was setting his own broken leg, using a piece of his armor and a screw as a makeshift splint. She had to fight not to wince. "I could totally do that. You know, if I needed to," she said. She glanced at him, a small smirk.

He barked out a laugh. "Not real." He turned his own sideways smile on her, baby blue eyes showing no doubt. He was confident in his answer.

She laughed too, her fib too obvious to fool him. "Yeah, no. I'd definitely just die in this situation."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," he told her, surprising her a bit. A compliment from Leo meant something, and she blushed.

He noticed, she could tell by his smirk, but he didn't say anything. They watched in silence a while.

"I would've pegged you as more of a romcom kinda girl," he said eventually.

She shrugged. "I have my layers," she said. "Mostly I just picked this one so you'd want to join me." She met his eyes, held her ground. He understood the challenge, she could see it. He studied her, searching for something.

"Not real," he said. He wanted more.

She scooted closer to him, turning her body to face him. "Real," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. This was it, do or die. "Honestly, I've been… wanting to watch this movie with you for a while now," she told him. He chuckled, looking down at his hands, knowing she wasn't really talking about some Vin Diesel movie.

She braced herself.

"That's funny," he said. "Because I've been waiting a while for you to pick this one."

Her eyes were wide. Was she shaking? Was she even breathing? She wasn't sure. She couldn't look away from his eyes, ocean blue, full of something she didn't quite have words for.

"Real," she finally answered. She hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she thought she did.

He smirked at her, her absolute favorite expression on him. That stupid, cocky, all-knowing smirk. He knew he was turning her to mush, and he relished it.

He grabbed her chin gently, leaned closer, and kissed her.

"Real," he agreed. She was pretty sure they both won that round.


End file.
